Living Dead
by Writer With Sprite
Summary: "You're lucky I don't kill Reid," the unsub said, tracing a finger over Morgan's face. "It's been two years, Morgan. Two years. Your team is dead. Dead. I own you and Reid, I'm married to Reid, and you are my slave. Clear?" Set early season one - not a deathfic.
1. Chapter 1

"You know," the man said as he looked Reid dead in the eye, "We don't do this nearly often enough. I love it when _both_ of you are in full terror mode, awaiting my strike. It makes me glad I abducted both of you, not just Reid like I planned."

Morgan did his best to look bored and disinterested, even though he was nervously eying Reid's split lip and bruises from earlier. Reid sported an arm that was probably broken, a black eye, and a bruised soul. Two years of being held captive by a merciless psychopath who threatened the lives of everyone they knew had made Morgan and Reid weary and - inasmuch as Morgan hated to admit it - perhaps even broken.

Both Reid and Morgan remained silent. They'd tried to escape over 30 times in two years; they knew the drill. They failed often, but they still tried. They had too. Morgan was leaning heavily against the wall, his arm propping him up. Reid knew it was more vital for Morgan to eat something, he hadn't eaten in at least a day, and Reid was in need of food himself.

"You were the one who tried to escape, though." Richard, their captor, turned to look at Morgan. Morgan tried to look at him and meet his gaze. "You were the one who started the conversations and planned with Reid. You were the one who talked to him, thinking I was stupid enough not to hear your every word." The unsub (as Reid still liked to call him), got up and stood in front of Morgan, clearly enjoying his position of power.

Reid cleared his throat, knowing exactly where this was going, as it had gone so many times before. Their main order was not to escape. Morgan had a great idea for trying to escape and they'd come so close. They'd actually seen Hotch; they'd learned he was alive, not dead. Morgan had quietly whispered to Reid that was worth any punishment they might get. "Um-"

Richard held up his hand and Morgan shot a glare at Reid. Reid allowed himself to sink onto the bed quietly. They were not going to raise a stink. They were not going to get killed. Not when they finally had a reason to live.

"You got to an airport." The tone was a livid, dry tone; one that clearly explained his anger. Reid swallowed, trying not to feel afraid.

"I'm glad you figured that out," Morgan said. Reid winced. After two years, neither one of them were entirely broken. Beaten and badly injured, rape victims and victims of human trafficking - sure. But broken? No. At least, that's what he wanted to believe.

Two years ago, he and Morgan had been investigating a series of murders that had finally been proven to be a serial killer operation. An unsub would kidnap victims, seemingly at random, keep them for years, and when the victims were broken, they would be murdered. He and Morgan had tried to escape multiple times, the most recent one being last night. It had been the furthest they'd made it so far before being captured again. He would never forget Hotch's face. Hotch was very much alive.

Richard - the unsub - brought Reid back to reality. "Reid," he said, "I asked how you thought Morgan should be punished. We know he tried to escape. We have options, yes? He convinced you to escape, yes?"

Morgan shot glares at Reid. Reid sighed, hating the fact that Richard refused to believe that Reid had more intelligence than a two-year-old. _Both_ Morgan and Reid had been responsible for planning the escape, and Reid knew that.

"Reid!" Richard snapped, shaking him and pushing him back against the wall, tracing his cheek lightly with the gunbarrel, "Punishment! Morgan. _How should we punish Morgan_?"

Reid allowed his eyes to flicker to Morgan, who was pretending to ignore the whole scenario. Reid sighed, thinking over his options, "Hospital."

Morgan groaned. Richard smiled. He loved taking both boys to the hospital; it was a way for him to show his power and connections. He had connections in every local hospital and every local agency. He even _loved_ to float he had a connection to the unit Morgan and Reid had served in - which Reid was starting to doubt more and more.

"What are the rules for the hospital?" Richard asked Reid, "Recite."

"No talking to others, you and I are married, Morgan is staying with us as a c-cousin," Reid said, stuttering on the last word, "And you have a power of attorney over Morgan."

"What else?"

"Morgan will stay in for a minimum of six days and will get treatment for injuries caused by his escape. He will be admitted to the psych ward, and his medications will be adjusted." Morgan's head hit against the wall, and Reid sighed. His other options were for far more permanent options, such as getting shot or whipped again. Given that Morgan had disassociated for three days off and on the last time he was whipped, the hospital seemed like the safer bet.

"Corner," the man said. Reid swallowed but nodded, kneeling on the corner mat.

* * *

Morgan swallowed, looking the unsub - Richard - in the eye. Two years of captivity hadn't broken him, he'd made sure of that. It hadn't broken Reid either. But they had been beaten and abused, and come damn close to being broken.

"You tried to escape." There was no question. He had. He was always plotting and planning. And this time he'd gained valuable information, their team was still alive. The man had showed them brutal evidence that their team had been killed. Now, Reid and Morgan knew that was wrong.

"Yes, Sir." Morgan lowered his eyes, looking at the blue pattern on the rug.

"You're lucky I don't kill Reid," the unsub said, tracing a finger over Morgan's face. "It's been two years, Morgan. Two years. Your team is dead. Dead. _I own you and Reid,_ I'm married to Reid, and you are my slave. Clear?"

"Of course, Sir." No raised tone, no fighting back, nothing. He wasn't broken. _He wasn't broken._ He just felt like it.

"Good." The man smiled, moving over to Reid, "Reid, this is all Morgan's fault." He ran his hand through Reid's hair. "I'm not mad at you, understand?"

"Yes, Sir." Reid lowered his eyes.

"I won't punish you."

 _You already did. You're punishing both of us, keeping us in this cruel world. Can't you just let us go?_ Reid swallowed, "Thank you, Sir."

"I will protect you from your team," the man said, running his hands over Reid with a smile. "You'll never go back to them. They're dead."

Reid didn't address the conflicting statements, nor did he dare to look at Morgan. "Yes, Sir. I understand."

The man left for a minute, and Reid looked at Morgan. They had gotten within a block of Hotch - there was a chance that they could get out alive.


	2. Chapter 2

It was later the next day when Reid realized he didn't know if Richard would take Morgan to the hospital or not. Luckily, Morgan's injuries were not serious; so it was a non-issue. The hospital, however, would give them a chance to call for help. If they decide to try and risk escaping again.

"How are you feeling?" Reid asked Morgan, taking his temperature. He signed, Morgan's fever was 99 degrees. Great. They actually would need the hospital soon.

"Like shit," Morgan muttered hoarsely. He could barely look Reid in the eye. Reid sighed, Richard had been brutal to both of them this morning. He'd beaten Reid with his belt, and he'd done God knows what to Morgan. They were still paying the consequences of their escape.

"Did he give you any drugs?"

Morgan did not answer but instead let out a grunt.

"Morgan, I need to know."

"Yes," Morgan whispered. "I don't know what they are."

Reid sighed. Richard had a fascination with drugging them both with random things to see how they responded. He preferred physical punishment with Reid and mental torment with Morgan.

"I was thinking—"

"No, Reid, no," Morgan whispered. Both knew the unsub was home. Richard was a CEO for a high-up company – that's what Reid suspected. They both enjoyed the time when he was gone. "We can't escape again, baby, I lied. I… I never should have suggested the idea in the first place."

Reid coughed, "I was thinking you should drink some water, Morgan."

"Oh," Morgan said, his voice dropping. He tried to sit up, propping himself against the bed. He opened one eye, then the other. "You're hurt," he said.

"I'm fine, I showered." Reid didn't say anything more than that.

"He still thinks you're his husband."

"Yes. He does. He has court paperwork for all of this, and it looks legit. Even if—"

"No," Morgan said. "We're his now. You know that."

Reid sighed, wondering what had happened last night with Morgan and the unsub. "What did he do?"

"Reid, don't-"

"We don't keep secrets from each other."

"What happened to you last night?" Morgan shot back, leaning back against the wall. "Have you eaten?"

Reid looked away, "Yes," he mumbled. "Have you?"

"No, but I'll be fine. Would you like to know what happened?"

"Yes," Reid said. They always shared. They fought about it, but they always shared. It was the only way they were not mentally broken. Reid knew if Morgan hadn't been here, he'd have died a long time ago, by his own hand.

"He tried to convince me to kill myself, and…" Morgan's voice trailed off as he finished what he was saying, "I said no."

Reid wrapped his arm around Morgan's. "I'm glad you're still here."

Morgan shot him a look. "I'm glad you're still here, too." He lowered his voice, "I had an idea…"

* * *

It was early morning when Hotch walked into the pit, holding the coffee. "Good morning Garcia, Prentiss. What's up?" he asked.

"Gideon is on the way," Garcia said. "All we know is that they're alive."

"They're?" he asked, sleepily. He hadn't paid much attention to the phone call, only knowing that he'd been needed as soon as possible.

"Reid and Morgan. Prentiss got a call from Morgan at 3am this morning. They're alive – we know that. He used a codeword, so we know it's him. We sent the local police, who haven't been able to find him, so we've contacted the unit leader, who gave us permission to use team resources for this. Gideon is traveling separately, but stopping at the office first."

"How far away are they?"

"Don't know. We traced the call to a town in the middle of nowhere – like, actually in the mountains. I just hope that we're able to find them. Morgan mentioned the name Richard and said that he was wealthy."

"We have a recording of the call," Prentiss said, flicking on her phone. "I knew there was a reason I never changed my number." She hit play.

"Prentis, it's Morgan. I'm alive. Reid's alive. Codeword Magic. We… we need your help. We were abducted by a man named Richard. I don't know where we are. I – I have to go, I see him. Find us, please." The phone disconnected.

Hotch swallowed, they were alive. They were alive. They had a lead. "Do we have a town?"

"We have coordinates. We're headed there now," Prentiss said as Gideon came up. "The others are meeting us there."

* * *

Morgan looked over at Reid, resting against the wall. "I made it to a phone," he said as Reid put a washcloth on Morgan's eye.

"Oh?" They were in an entirely new place.

"Yeah," Morgan whispered. Even though they'd checked it for bugs, they dared not speak loudly. "I got a phone. Prentiss' number was still active. He slipped up big time this time."

"And you paid for it," Reid winced. "Morgan…"

"It was worth it," Morgan whispered. "Even if I die-"

Reid clutched Morgan's hand, "You're not dying."

"Even if I die," Morgan repeated, "The important thing is that you are found. He's going to put me in the hospital again, Reid – he's making arrangements now."

Reid winced. The last time Morgan had been in the hospital Morgan _had_ almost died. "Morgan…"

"I know," Morgan whispered wearily. "I won't try to die this time. I know the rules."

Reid ran his fingers over Morgan's face. "We'll stick together."

Morgan let out a loose laugh. "You think he'll let you be there while they give me a sponge bath?"

Reid rinsed out their single rag and ran it through more water, dragging it over Morgan's bloody arm. "We need to get you cleaned up."

"Can't you do that at the hospital? Did he hurt you, too?"

"You know he did."

"Sorry," Morgan responded.

"It's fine. Nothing I've not been through before. It's important that the team knows we're alive."

"Yes," Morgan nodded. "That's true. Ow, Reid…"

"Press down," Reid snapped. "You're not dying on me yet."

Morgan let out a sigh, "That's not the plan, anyway."

"You think they'll find us?" Reid asked, lowering his voice to a whisper.

"I don't know," Morgan admitted, his voice dropping as a tear slipped out his face, the first time he'd cried in a year. Reid brushed it away. "I don't know, Reid. I don't know."

Richard stepped downstairs, looking at both of them. "You know the rules, Morgan. You called them, now Reid must be punished."

Morgan struggled to set up, "Haven't you punished him enough? Please, punish me."

"Don't make me shoot you again," Richard said, "Because I'll shoot you both, I swear to God. Get up. We're moving. NOW!" He shoved Reid into the corner while grabbing Morgan by his arm. "HURRY UP!"

Reid shot Morgan a look. Richard seemed more unstable than ever; how were they ever going to be free? Maybe they could be dead instead. Maybe that would be better.

* * *

Please review - I'd love to know your thoughts. What do you think the unsub will do to Reid/Morgan?


End file.
